Guero's Taco Bar

On our last morning in Austin, we decided to have breakfast at Guero's Taco Bar.  My wife was in the mood for Mexican food and she told me that this place was supposed to be very good.  Parking is sometimes an issue on South Congress, but we were fortuitous and found a parking spot less than a block away from Guero's.

Our party of four was famished so we ordered quite a bit for breakfast.  Below are my thoughts and opinions of what we ordered:

Queso - Regardless of the time of day, I have to order queso when I see it on the menu.  Unfortunately this queso was very bland and tasted similar to what one would get at a concession stand while watching 7th grade basketball.

Breakfast Tacos - Basic breakfast taco that was nothing special.  I only tried the chorizo and bacon, but neither were very flavorful.

Migas-Decent portion, but could have used a little more pico de gallo.  The flour tortillas were the only bright spot of this dish

Huevos Mexicanos - Like everything else we tried, this dish was super bland.  We got corn tortillas with this dish and I didn't like them as much as the flour tortillas.  Everything was once again tasteless, from the  eggs to the potatoes.

I ate some outstanding meals while I was in Austin for this particular weekend, but this meal was not one of them.  In addition to the bland food, the service was super slow too.  I would not go back here for breakfast and I cannot recommend it.  This might also be the last time I let my wife pick a restaurant while we are on the road!

Guero's Taco Bar
http://www.guerostacobar.com
Livin the Good Life=1

Lonesome Dove Bistro-Austin

Tim Love owns and operates one of my favorite restaurants in Fort Worth, Lonesome Dove Bistro.  Recently he opened up a second location of in Austin.  Since my wife and I are big fans of the Fort Worth location, I decided that we must visit the new location while in Austin and see how it compared.  Lucky for us, the Austin location of Lonesome Dove Bistro was just 3 blocks from our hotel where we were staying, the JW Marriott Austin.

Fettine Trio

While dining there with some friends from Houston, we sampled several items.  While looking over the menu, we started with the Fettine Trio.  The Fettine trio included duck-rattlesnake sausage fettine, elk-pork fettine, and lamb-quail fettine.  Although I didn't love the version with the lamb, the other two were absolutely amazing.

Nilgai Antelope Nachos

For appetizers, we ordered several items to share for the table.  The three that we ordered were the Nilgai Antelope Tenderloin Carpaccio Nachos, the Blue Corn Lobster Hushpuppies, and the Deviled Gulf Coast Blue Crabs.  The deviled blue crabs were my favorite of the three, but they were all exceptional and I would not hesitate to order any of the three again.

Blue Corn Lobster Hushpuppies

Following appetizers, I also ordered the Winter Squash Soup.  The soup had great flavor and texture.  It was one of the best soups I have had in recent memory and it had a sweet taste that I really liked.   It was also topped with the shaved grana padano cheese, which was also flavorful.

Winter Squash Soup

For our main course, all four of us ordered the house speciality, which is the Roasted Garlic Stuffed Beef Tenderloin.  This cut of meat was especially tender, had excellent flavor, and was topped with a great mop sauce.  The Western plaid hash and grilled asparagus were both very good as well.  My wife and I also chose to share a side of the burnt carrots, which were about as good as carrots could be.  

Roasted Garlic Stuffed Beef Tenderloin

Burnt Carrots

For dessert, the table share an order of the Ancho Chile Chocolate Cake and the Churros.  The chocolate cake was very moist, topped with ice cream, and you could even taste a slight hint of ancho chile.  The churros were good in their own right, but were even better when dipped in the raspberry, chocolate, and caramel sauces.

Churros

Ancho Chile Chocolate Cake

Since we made our way through such a large portion of the menu, I was about as full as I could ever remember being.  The service was spectacular, but the food was even better.  This location lived up the high expectations I had experience of the Fort Worth location and I would highly recommend anyone to try this place out.  You will not be disappointed.

Lonesome Dove Bistro
http://lonesomedoveaustin.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=5

Terry Black's Barbecue

Quality barbecue is getting much easier to find in Austin, TX.  The barbecue revolution there is really amazing when you think back to a decade ago and there not being any truly great barbecue joints in the city limits.  On my most recent visit to Austin, I visited Terry Black's Barbecue.  Terry is a relative of the family that operates the famous Black's Barbecue in Lockhart, TX.

I ate there on a recent Saturday and sampled several items while eating with my wife and some friends from Houston.  Below is my thoughts on what I tried:

Brisket- This brisket was very tender, moist, had well rendered fat, and was perfectly smoked.  It was heavy on the pepper and the bark tasted very similar to what you would find at Louie Mueller's Barbecue in Taylor, TX.  

Brisket, pork ribs, cream corn, and mac n' cheese

Pork Ribs- These were tender, had a nice glaze, and easily pulled off the bone.  They had a slight peppery taste, but not near as much as the brisket bark.

Turkey- I had this in a sandwich, but ate several slices on their own.  Great smokey flavor, moist, and lightly peppered to perfection.  

Turkey Sandwich

Beef Rib- This was one of the top 3 beef ribs I have ever had.  It had a similar flavor to the brisket, but was extremely tender.  A lot of beef ribs are chewy, but this one was not like that at all.  It was so tender that you could literally pull it off the bone with a fork.  This meat was the highlight of my visit to this barbecue joint.

Beef Rib

Sides-I tried the cream corn, mac n' cheese, cole slaw, and potato salad.  The cream corn was my favorite item, but the mac n' cheese was good as well.

Banana Pudding

Desserts- I tried the banana pudding and the peach cobbler.  The pudding was rather bland, but the cobbler was really good.  I would definitely order the cobbler again!

Peach Cobbler

The meats were great and the sides were decent enough as well.  While there may be a few people in line, the line moves really fast because Terry Black's has multiple cutting blocks and registers to get your food, rather than everyone waiting on one cutting block and register.  The ten minute wait for quality barbecue is an excellent alternative to waiting hours at some other joints in town.  Terry Black's will now be on my rotation of restaurants to visit when I am in Austin!

Terry Black's Barbecue
http://terryblacksbbq.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Via 313

Being a foodie, I often find myself watching shows on Food Network, particularly those that feature restaurants.  One day I found myself watching a special about the Top 5 Pizzas in America, and it featured a pizza called The Detroiter, that can found in a pizza trailer in Austin, TX.  Via 313 pizza operates behind a bar on Rainey St. and I knew that I would have to try this place the next time I visited Austin.

The Detroiter pizza features smoked pepperoni and natural casing pepperoni on a deep dish pizza that is cooked in a metal tray.  When I visited 313, I didn't realize there were multiple types of pepperoni pizza on the menu, so I just ordered a pepperoni.  What I got was the Original Pepperoni, which consisted of smoked pepperoni under the cheese with sauce on top.  Although it wasn't what I intended to order, it was a really awesome pizza.  It reminded me a lot of Sicilian-style pizza, but it had a crispy crust, despite the fact it was deep dish.

Having only sampled one pizza, I can hardly consider myself an expert at Via 313.  That being said, I really thought it was one of the better pizzas I have ever tried and really liked the Detroit-style pizzeria.  The flavor was great, but the crust was amazing and I will certainly go back her on my next visit and actually try The Detroiter!

Via 313
http://via313.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Gourdough's

Austin is very well known for the quality of cuisine that is dished out from the city's food trucks and food trailers.  One can find anything from barbecue to sushi and I have thoroughly enjoyed most of what I have sampled from food trucks in Austin.  On my last full day in Austin, some buddies and I hit up Gourdough's for a gluttonous late night snack.  Who can't pass up a donut trailer that stays open until 3 a.m.?

When we first arrived I was in awe of the large menu and the different ingredients that topped their donuts.  Between the three of us, we ordered eight total donuts.  What we didn't know is that these donuts were gargantuan and piled high with toppings.  Never one to back down from a challenge (the three of us knocked out six pounds of barbecue plus sides at Franklin Barbecue earlier in the day), we sat down to indulge ourselves in these donuts.

I tried four of the eight donuts myself and have included their names and ingredients below:

Mother Clucker-Fried Chicken Strip Pieces with Honey Butter

Son of a Peach-Peach Filling, Cinnamon, Sugar, and Cake Mix Topping

Porkey's-Canadian Bacon, Cream Cheese and Jalapeno Jelly

Flying Pig-Bacon and Maple Syrup Icing

All four donuts I tried ranged from "amazing" to "I would drive three and a half hours just to eat these for breakfast."  My favorite was the "Mother Clucker", but the "Flying Pig" was delightful as well.  After eating at Franklin Barbecue and Gourdough's in the same day, I felt like I had experienced culinary nirvana.  If you live in the Austin area and have not been to Gourdough's yet, then you should be ashamed of yourself!

Gourdough's
http://gourdoughs.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating=5

Micklethwait Craft Meats

In my opinion, Austin is now the barbecue capital of Texas.  With all due respect to the triumvirate in Lockhart, the city of Austin now has your beat.  One of the places that I have been wanting to try the last couple of years is Micklethwait Craft Meats.  For various reasons, my schedule has not allowed it.  Luckily, this was the year that I got to try the barbecue trailer that both the Austin Chronicle and the Austin American-Statesman ranked in their top five barbecue joints in Austin.  I actually dined here twice on this trip because they had several menu items that my stomach could not make room for on my first visit. 

Andouille Sausage, Pork Spare Ribs, Lemon Poppy Cole Slaw, and Jalapeno Cheese Grits

Brisket

On my first visit, I ordered the three meat plate with brisket, ribs, and their sausage of the day, which was Andouille.  The brisket (both the lean and the fatty) was very good, with a nice hint of smoke, well rendered fat, and a very nice bark.  Cut appropriately thick, the brisket melted in your mouth.  The ribs were very tender, easily pulled of the bone, and had a dry rub that was peppery with a hint of sweetness.  As for the sausage, I can't remember ever having better Andouille anywhere.  The plate came with two sides and I ordered the jalapeno cheese grits and the lemon poppy cole slaw.  Sides usually take a back burner at barbecue joints, but the grits were some of the best I have ever had and the cole slaw was unique and refreshing.

Barbacoa

On my second visit, I ordered the three meat plate again.  This time I ordered the barbacoa in lieu of the rib and the sausage of the day was red curry sausage.  The brisket was once again very good, but I actually preferred the very tender and expertly seasoned barbacoa.  The red curry sausage was just okay, especially in comparison to the excellent Andouille I had on the previous visit.  For my sides, I once again ordered the jalapeno cheese grits, but also got the beans.  The beans were commendable too, but I actually preferred the cole slaw to the beans.

Homemade Moon Pie

After reading various articles and blog posts about Micklethwait's Homemade Moon Pies, I knew I had to try on of those as well and was amazed at how good it really was compared to the store-bought versions.  This dessert was the cherry on top of a terrific meal and was about double the size of the mass-produced ones you find in your local grocery store.  The line at Micklethwait Craft Meats is considerably shorter than some of the other barbecue locations in town.  Despite the shorter line, the quality of smoked meats is top notch and comparable to other Austin barbecue joints that I have ranked highly.  Due yourself a favor and try this quaint little trailer out, because you will not be disappointed.

Micklethwait Craft Meats
http://craftmeats.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Old School Bar and Grill

When I travel to a new city for work or a vacation, I frequently scout out restaurants ahead of time and try to hit as many highly rated places as I can.  Occasionally I like walking around and just stopping somewhere in the area that I am visiting and this is how I stumbled upon Old School Bar and Grill.  Some friends and I decided to have dinner together and thought we would just walk to 6th Street and find somewhere to eat.  After checking out a few places, we finally deciding to try this restaurant.

We were all starving and we decided to start with the Chicken Spinach Quesadillas.  These quesadillas were really good and had just the right blend of chicken, spinach, and pepper jack cheese.  The guacamole that came with them was also commendable.

Zilker Park Burger and Fries

I was in the mood for a burger and the restaurant had several that sounded appetizing.  After having an inner debate with myself, I finally decided to try the Zilker Park Burger, which was topped with guacamole, bacon, mayonnaise, and pepper jack cheese.  The burger was large with a juicy patty and the bun was light and slightly toasted.  The guacamole was the same delicious guacamole served with the quesadillas and blended well with the other ingredients.  The fries were perfectly cooked and seasoned with just the right amount of salt.

Creme Brûlée 

Our waiter recommended that we try the Creme Brûlée, which he claimed was so good that they only offered this one dessert choice.  This dessert was sweet, but not too sweet, and had a perfectly caramelized sugar crust.  I am usually not a huge fan of this dessert, but this was one of the better ones I have had in the last couple of years.  Other members of my party had the Club Sandwich and the Texas Two Step Burger.  They each gave their choices a thumbs up.  The service was as good as the food and we were all happy that we decided to stop in and try Old School Bar and Grill. 

Old School Bar and Grill
http://oldschoolaustin.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken

Fried chicken can be a marvelous meal when it is done right.  Having heard good things about Gus's Wold Famous Fried Chicken, I knew I had to try it out this year since it was only two blocks from my conference in Austin.  One publication even lists this restaurant as one of the 21 Best Fried Chicken Restaurants in America.  While this small chain has several locations, Austin is currently the only Texas city that has a Gus's.

A co-worker and I arrived early for lunch and I was surprised to find that the only seats available for us were at the bar.  Since there was not another option, we snatched those up and placed our order.  I had the Three Piece White Plate with beans and fries, while my coworker ordered the Chicken Tender Plate.   My chicken was juicy and had a slightly spicy batter.  While not the best chicken I have ever tried, Gus's was certainly better than average.  My co-worker enjoyed the chicken strips too, but we both thought our sides were fairly pedestrian.

Three Piece White Meat Plate with Fries and Beans

We both ordered a piece of pie before leaving.  He had the Pecan Pie and I had the Chocolate Chess Pie.  His pie was good, but I thought mine was exceptional.   By the time we left, there was a line thirty deep waiting to be seated.  Luckily, the friendly staff at Gus's does a good job of getting food out quickly and most patrons are in and out in less than thirty minutes.  Overall the food was pretty good, but I don't think it lived up to the hype I read in several reviews of this place.

Chocolate Chess Pie and Pecan Pie

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
http://gusfriedchicken.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Italic

Seared Calamari

On the second night of my conference in Austin, my father-in-law invited me to dine with him.  He lives in Austin part-time and recommended that we dine at a new Italian restaurant that he really liked.  The restaurant, Italic, was only five blocks from my hotel, so we met for an early dinner in downtown  Austin.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

The first item we tried was the Seared Calamari, which was garnished with minced olives, blood oranges, mint, escarole, and almonds.  While I am used to fried calamari, this was my first time to try it seared and I was very impressed by the flavor.  I also had a bowl of the Tuscan White Bean Soup.  This soup was very rich, but the white beans, kale, Italian sausage, red chili flakes, and parmigiano combined to make a fantastic soup.  

Soppressata Pizaa

For our main course, we decided to split a Soppressata Pizza and the Niman Ranch Two-Bone Tomahawk Pork Chop.  The pizza was topped with a spicy soppressata, fontina, honey, red chili flakes, and basil.  Although it was a very good pizza, it was my least favorite menu item that I tried.  The pork chop was tender and juicy.  It was also topped with a chile agrodolce sauce, which was actually very sweet and was a perfect compliment to the pork.

Niman Ranch Two-Bone Tomahawk Pork Chop

As you can probably tell by now, I was very impressed with this restaurnt.  The food and the service were both terrific.  While the calamari was probably my favorite menu item I had on this night, I really did like everything that I tried.  A table next to us had two desserts that looked appetizing, but I was too full to eat another bite.  I will make it a point to try a dessert on my next visit. 

Italic
http://italicaustin.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Shake Shack

Many burger chains have legions of loyal fans.  I know my friends from California were ecstatic when In-N-Out Burger expanded to Texas and Texans tend to love their Whataburger.  Shake Shack, which originated in New York, also has fans that swear their burgers, fries, and shakes are the best in the country.  The first Texas location of Shake Shack recently opened in Austin, so I couldn't wait to see what all the fuss was about.

ShackBurger with Bacon

I heard horror stories of long lines and waits up to one hour, so I arrived right at their 11:00 a.m. opening.  There were only a few people in front of me, but I did have plenty of time to look over the wall menu.  I finally decided  to order the ShackBurger with bacon, fries, and a strawberry milkshake.  In addition to the bacon, the ShackBurger came topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce.  The burger was extremely tasty with a slightly charred exterior and a bun that was somewhat sweet.  The bacon was excellent as well and the special sauce gave it a somewhat spicy taste.  I felt this was a really good burger, but I was extremely disappointed in the size.  I could have easily eaten this burger in about four bites and I immediately wished I would have ordered the double meat version or just ordered two burgers.

Strawberry Milkshake and Fries

Although the burger was very good, I thought the crinkle cut fries were fairly ordinary.  They were light and crispy, but were far from exceptional and somewhat bland.  The strawberry shake was very thick, but I could only taste a slight hint of strawberries.  Despite being small, the burgers here were certainly above average in the taste department, but I could have cared less for the fries and shake I ordered.  I probably wouldn't go out of my way to eat here again, but I will  try out the Plano location when it opens because it will be just a few minutes down the road from my casa. 

Shake Shack
https://www.shakeshack.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=3